Perhaps We Should Put Those Trudeau Attack Pamphlets In Context

Conservatives want Manitoba voters to think long and hard about the judgment of Liberal Leader Justin Trudeau before casting a ballot in Monday's federal byelections.

They just aren't giving them much to go on.

Pamphlets distributed in the riding of Brandon-Souris, a long-time Tory fortress at risk of falling to the Liberals, feature an image of Trudeau taking off his shirt and three quotes attributed to him before he won the party leadership in April.

The message in the pamphlets, much like the television ads Tories released in the spring, is that Trudeau is "in way over his head."

But it appears there's only one thing missing: context.

So, let's provide some right now.

What's up with the photo?

Trudeau is shown on the front of the pamphlets removing his shirt with a big smile on his face.

Did he actually do that? Yes, he did.

The "striptease" took place at an Ottawa charity event in 2011 to raise funds for the Canadian Liver Foundation. Attendees at the What A Girl Wants gala bid on a lunch with the MP that eventually went for $1,900. Trudeau shed his clothes down to his undershirt only.

"We believe Justin Trudeau's eagerness to perform a strip-tease, regardless of the venue or putative cause, says something about his judgement," he said in a statement.

Yet, the Canadian Liver Foundation came to Trudeau's defence with a press release.

"This auction item raised $1,900 and the event raised $128,000," it reads. "The Foundation believes Mr. Trudeau should be applauded for his commitment to an important health issue that affects an estimated 3.4 million Canadians."

Watch the original Trudeau charity striptease, shot by The Huffington Post Canada, in the video below.

"I always say that if I ever believed Canada was really the Canada of Stephen Harper and we were going against abortion and going against gay marriage, and we were going backward in 10,000 different ways, maybe I'd think of wanting to make Quebec a country,'' he said.

Two days later, Trudeau told reporters it was "ridiculous" to question his loyalty to a united Canada.

"I live this country in my bones, every breath I take and I'm not going to stand here and somehow defend that I actually do love Canada because we know I love Canada," he said.

But Trudeau did get himself in hot water in 2011 for taking issue with the use of the term "barbaric" in the revamped citizenship guide.

The Harper government updated the Discover Canada booklet to include a line saying: "Canada's openness and generosity do not extend to barbaric cultural practices that tolerate spousal abuse, 'honour killings,' female genital mutilation, forced marriage or other gender-based violence."

Conservatives like Jason Kenney wasted no time pouncing on Trudeau, who quickly offered an apology and retraction.

"Perhaps I got tangled in semantic weeds in my comments, particularly in view of the Conservatives' cynicism on these issues," he said in a statement. "I want to make it clear that I think the acts described are heinous, barbaric acts that are totally unacceptable in our society."

"Quebecers are better than the rest of Canada because, you know, we're Quebecers or whatever."

Did Trudeau say that? Yes.

But what Tories don't mention is that he was paraphrasing his father.

In a 1999 interview with CTV's W5, Trudeau opened up about why his father, former prime minister Pierre Trudeau, did not believe Quebecers needed special rights and privileges.

"His philosophy, certainly as he passed it on to us, has always been Quebecers are better than the rest of Canada because we're Quebecers or whatever. I mean, this idea that a lot more of us are bilingual, bicultural, there's a lot more awareness of the rest and that's a richness," he said. "Who's to say that we should need special protections, or special deals, or special allowances that make us protected?"

So, there you have it.

While these pamphlets may provide a sneak peek of how Tories will take on Trudeau in 2015, it appears the attacks aren't working.

Justin Trudeau, leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, sitting on a bench in Lafayette Square across from the White House before a television interview, Washington, D.C., Oct. 24, 2013. Trudeau was on his first trip to Washington to attend a policy conference held by The Center for American Progress where he sat on a panel titled "Global Perspectives" with former Australian prime minister Julia Gillard and former U.S. secretary of state Madeleine Albright. THE CANADIAN PRESS IMAGES/Louie Palu

Justin Trudeau, leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, sitting in the lobby of the St. Regis Hotel, Washington, D.C., Oct. 24, 2013. Trudeau was on his first trip to Washington to attend a policy conference held by The Center for American Progress where he sat on a panel titled "Global Perspectives" with former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. THE CANADIAN PRESS IMAGES/Louie Palu

Justin Trudeau, leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, sitting in the lobby of the St. Regis Hotel, Washington, D.C., Oct. 24, 2013. Trudeau was on his first trip to Washington to attend a policy conference held by The Center for American Progress where he sat on a panel titled "Global Perspectives" with former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. THE CANADIAN PRESS IMAGES/Louie Palu

Justin Trudeau, leader of the Liberal Party of Canada, sitting in the lobby of the St. Regis Hotel, Washington, D.C., Oct. 24, 2013. Trudeau was on his first trip to Washington to attend a policy conference held by The Center for American Progress where he sat on a panel titled "Global Perspectives" with former Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard and former U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright.

Justin Trudeau splits his pants while pushing the "scrum machine" in support of Prostate Cancer Canada in Toronto Thursday, July 21, 2011.

Justin Trudeau gets his geek on at Montreal Comiccon in September 2012.

Justin Trudeau has his moustache shaved off to raise money for the Judy LaMarsh Fund, that supports female candidates, at the Liberal Party convention in Ottawa on Saturday, January 14, 2012.

Minister of National Defence Peter MacKay (left) is chased by Liberal MP Justin Trudeau in a motorized wheelchair during a wheelchair race relay on Parliament Hill in Ottawa on Wednesday, May 12, 2010. Twenty-five MPs and senators used a wheelchair for the day in support of the Canadian Paraplegic Association's Spinal Cord Injury and CPA awareness month.

Alexandre (Sacha) Trudeau delivers a right hook to his older brother Justin during a play fight in 1980 at Ottawa airport as the boys await a flight with the return of their father, then-prime minister, Pierre Trudeau.

Justin Trudeau strikes a pose with an adorable baby.

Justin Trudeau poses with his family on his 2010 Christmas card.

Former Liberal MP Ken Dryden, left, and Justin Trudeau play table hockey as they visit Sun Youth, a community organization, Monday, Jan. 14, 2008 in Montreal.

Then-prime minister Pierre Trudeau, left, watches as his 11-year-old son Justin swings on a chain during a tour of an old fort in the Omani town of Nizwa Dec. 2, 1983. Trudeau and Justin spent the day visiting the towns of Jebel and Nizwa 165 kilometres south of Muscat.

Justin Trudeau in Muskoka, Ont.

Liberal MP Justin Trudeau, centre, has his cowbay taken by his son Xavier, 4 years-old, while his wife Sophie Gregoire, second from left, holds daughet Ella-Grace, 3 years-old, while they attend the party's annual Stampede breakfast in Calgary, Saturday, July 7, 2012. This is the 100th anniversary of the Stampede.

Eleven-month-old Justin Trudeau, urged on by his mother Margaret Trudeau, crawls up the steps of an aircraft in Ottawa on Dec. 5, 1972 to meet his father, then-prime minister, Pierre Trudeau on his return from Britain.

Justin Trudeau dances with wife Sophie Grégoire before his speech at the Liberal showcase on April 6, 2013.

Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, wearing what someone called his "Mandrake the Magician outfit," walks down the grandstand steps to present the Grey Cup trophy to the victorious Montreal Alouettes in this Nov. 28, 1970 photo.

Pierre Trudeau leans over to kiss an unidentified young lady to the seeming surprise of his recent bride Margaret. Trudeau and Margaret spent Saturday March 27, 1971 at maple tree farm here near Montreal at a sugaring out party.

Pierre Trudeau accompanies Margaret Sinclair, at the annual Governor General's skating party for members of Parliament in Ottawa Jan. 14, 1970.

Pierre Trudeau looks through the scope of his rifle while on a seal hunting trip in Baffin Island's Clear Water Fjord, July 29, 1968.

Pierre Trudeau shoes off his frisbee catching style while waiting to board his plane in Vancouver May 16, 1979.

Pierre Trudeau had no trouble keeping himself occupied during a break from a boat trip down the Northwest Territories, Nahanni River, Monday Aug. 4, 1970.

Pierre Trudeau takes a wary look at an ice crevice, decides to chance it and makes the leap successfully during a midnight seal- hunting expedition at Clearwater Fjord in Canada's Arctic, July 29, 1968.

Pierre Trudeau receives a kiss from his wife Margaret during a tour of St. Pierre, France, Aug. 1971.

Pierre Trudeau in Guayana 1974.

Pierre Trudeau sticks his tongue out to Canadian Press Photographer Peter Bregg during the 1972 election campaign. This photo was taken aboard the campaign plane where such antics were considered off the record. The photo was not made available until after the death of the prime minister

Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau dances in Montreal Oct. 21, 1979.

Pierre Trudeau sprints away from a crowd of female admirers in Ottawa April 22, 1968. They surrounded him outside the Parliament Buildings on his third day in office.

John Lennon and his wife Yoko Ono, meet with Pierre Trudeau Dec. 24, 1969 in Ottawa.

Pierre Trudeau looks on as Cuban President Fidel Castro gestures during a visit to a Havana housing project in this Jan. 27, 1976 photo.

Pierre Trudeau pretending to strangle himself with a tie given to him as he was presented with honorary membership in the National Press Club in Ottawa Sept. 17, 1968.

Pierre Trudeau amuses a group of people in Fortune while on tour through Newfoundland, Aug. 3, 1971.

Pierre Trudeau takes a ride on the Bluenose, Aug. 1972.

Pierre Trudeau works out at an Oshawa health club during a break in his 1968 election campaign.

Pierre Trudeau, with a garland around his neck and a Hindu greeting symbol in paste on his forhead, rides a camel Jan 12, 1971 in the village of Benares, India, where he dedicated a water well.

Pierre Trudeau kids around with a carnation while waiting for voting results at the Liberal convention in this April 7, 1968 photo.

Pierre Trudeau, seen here taking part in Maori ceremonial dance in Wellington, New Zealand May 13, 1970.

Pierre Trudeau does a dance after his campaign bus broke down in Montreal June 6, 1968.

Wearing a "feather in his cap," Pierre Trudeau attended the official opening May 20, 1983, of an archaeological excavation in Hull, Que.

Pierre Trudeau, shown performing his famous pirouette during a May 7, 1977, picture session at Buckingham Palace in London, England.

Pierre Trudeau, in a moment of joy over patriation of Canada's constitution, preformed his now famous pirouette at Uplands Airport on April 18, 1982 following the Queens's departure for London after the 4-day state visit which climaxed with the proclamation of the Constitution Act.

Pierre Trudeau is saluted by RCMP Officer as he carries son Justin to Rideau Hall in 1973.

It was a big day for Dad, but a long day for the three Trudeau children. Left to right, Justin, Michel and Alexandre (Sacha) Trudeau attended the swearing in ceremonies of their father Pierre Elliott Trudeau as Prime Minister March 3, 1980 at Government House.

Then-prime minister Pierre Trudeau's 11-year-old son Justin jumps off an old cannon while visiting a fort along with his father in the Omani town of Nizwa and Jebel.

Justin Trudeau and friend Mathieu Walker in the Sahara desert in October, 1994.

Justin Trudeau and friend Mathieu Walker in the Sahara desert in October, 1994.

Justin Trudeau with friends Mathieu Walker and Allen Steverman in Shanghai in 1994.

Justin Trudeau with friends Mathieu Walker (left) and Allen Steverman (centre) at the Great Wall of China in 1994.

Former prime minister Pierre Trudeau (L), his son, Alexandre (Sacha), ex-wife Margaret Kemper and son Justin weep as they leave a memorial service for their son Michel in Montreal in 1998. Michel Trudeau drowned after being swept into a lake during an avalanche in British Columbia.

Justin (left) and Alexandre (Sacha) Trudeau lean out of the funeral train to show appreciation to mourners who turned out to pay their respects to former prime minister Pierre Trudeau in Dorval, Que., Monday Oct. 2, 2000. Trudeau's casket was moved from Ottawa to Montreal for a state funeral. ()

Justin Trudeau is consoled by his mother Margaret after reading the eulogy for his father, former prime minister Pierre Trudeau during his state funeral in Montreal, Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2000.

Justin Trudeau delivers a eulogy for his late father Pierre Trudeau during the state funeral for the former prime minister at the Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal, Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2000. Trudeau first caught the public heartstrings in October 2000, when he delivered a moving, deeply felt eulogy for his legendary father, weaving an emotional spell from inside the cavernous Notre-Dame Basilica in Montreal.

Justin Trudeau breaks down on his father's casket after reading the eulogy during the state funeral for former prime minister Pierre Trudeau Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2000 in Montreal.

Justin Trudeau gives a rose to a young girl, one of thousands of mourners who stood outside Notre-Dame Basillica in Montreal Tuesday, October 3, 2000 during a state funeral for his father, former prime minister Pierre Elliott Trudeau.

An enthusiastic Justin Trudeau talks to reporters during a news conference to promote avalanche awareness in West Vancouver Thursday Jan. 25, 2001.

Justin Trudeau stands at the base of a mountain near the evidence of a controlled avalanche at Lake Louise, Alberta, Friday January 12, 2002.

Trudeau with adviser and friend Gerald Butts in July 2003 at Virginia Falls, Nahanni National Park Reserve in the Northwest Territories.

Justin Trudeau carves through a gate during a celebrity slalom race in Mont Tremblant, Que. Friday, Dec. 12, 2003. Trudeau was taking part in a 24-hour ski-a-thon for charity organized by Jacques Villeneuve and Villeneuve's manager Craig Pollock.

Justin Trudeau spoke to students as Sisler High School about the benefits of joining the Katimavik Project on March 9, 2004

Justin Trudeau, son of the late prime minister Pierre Trudeau, leaves with his new bride Sophie Gregoire in his father's 1959 Mercedes 300 SEL after their marriage ceremony in Montreal Saturday, May 28, 2005.

Sophie Gregoire waves to the crowd as she arrives for her wedding to Justin Trudeau, son of the late prime minister Pierre Trudeau, in Montreal Saturday, May 28, 2005.

Then-leadership candidate Stéphane Dion crosses paths with Justin Trudeau, a supporter of Gerard Kennedy, at the Liberal Leadership Convention on Nov. 30, 2006 in Montreal. The day after he won the leadership, Dion told Trudeau he needed his help and urged him to run.

Justin Trudeau poses in London, Ont., on Tuesday, June 5, 2007 with a group of youth who participated in the Katimavik national youth service program that he has been actively involved in. The funny faces came from a request by a parent taking a photograph.

Justin Trudeau raises his arms in victory after being voted in as the Liberal representative in Montreal's Papineau riding, on April 29, 2007.

Justin Trudeau, then Liberal candidate for the riding of Papineau, on the campaign trail with his mother, Margaret, in Montreal on Sept. 23, 2008. Trudeau snatched the riding from the Bloc Québécois by 1,189 votes.

Liberal Justin Trudeau, then a candidate in the riding of Papineau, on the campaign trail in Montreal, Tuesday Sept. 23, 2008 with his mother, Margaret.

Liberal MP Justin Trudeau trims the end of Senator Patrick Brazeau's pony tail out of respect in the Foyer of the House of Commons on Parliament Hill Ottawa, Monday April 2, 2012.

Liberal MP Justin Trudeau announces he will seek the leadership of the party at a news conference, Tuesday, October 2, 2012 in Montreal.

Liberal MP Justin Trudeau waves to the crowd of supporters as he holds his son Xavier and his wife Sophie Gregoire holds their daughter Ella-Grace after announcing he will seek the leadership of the party Tuesday, October 2, 2012 in Montreal.

Justin Trudeau, right, chats to his chief advisor Gerald Butts after taking part in the the Liberal leadership debate in Mississauga, Ont., on Saturday, February 16, 2013.

Marc Garneau, left, and Justin Trudeau take part in the Liberal leadership debate in Mississauga, Ont., on Feb. 16, 2013.